The GE Foundation has dramatically expanded its successful "College Bound" program, announcing a five-year, $100 million investment to help increase the number of students in targeted U.S. school districts who go on to college.

“The world becomes more competitive, every day,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. "The need to strengthen education has never been more urgent, especially for disadvantaged and under-represented youth. The College Bound District Program is designed to help fill that need – using research to identify challenges, empower teachers, enrich curriculums and elevate solutions.”

The GE Foundation created the College Bound program in 1989 to increase college-going rates at more than 20 high schools. The program’s new district focus seeks to achieve systemic change and student achievement in Louisville’s Jefferson County Public Schools and up to four other districts over the next five years. The strategy starts with a collaboration between the board of education, teacher’s association, and superintendent. Components include constituency engagement, management capacity building, a common math and science curriculum, professional development and in-depth evaluation of the program. In addition, GE executives will champion the project in each community and GE Volunteers will bring their skills and professional capacity into the schools.

“College Bound is a comprehensive effort aimed at strengthening our school systems, and improving math and science so that our students can compete effectively in a global economy, said GE Foundation President Bob Corcoran. "A district-wide collaboration coupled with GE’s resources and leadership involvement multiplies the impact.”

The GE Foundation awarded the American Institutes for Research (AIR) nearly $2 million to support rigorous evaluation of the College Bound District Program and to document and disseminate findings nationally. AIR will evaluate the impact of each of the  district’s programs and the impact of the program as a whole on college-readiness and college-going.